Long Gilles
@LDL-
French expat in Vietnam
Forum posts
362
Contacts
41
About me
French
Lives in Saïgon, Ho Chi Minh City
Speaks Francais (fluent), anglais (good), vietnamien (basic).
Registration: 14 July 2013
About
My expat journey
Ho Chi Minh City, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
General manager
Now in Saigon since 2006, it's my country, here I feel at home, finally. I couldn't live anywhere else.
Some things, but in France it was worse anyway. Mentalities are totally different, on work, on relationships, on the couple, on the family. Only one thing in common: the love of food and the pleasure of eating well. In each country, there are good and bad things, and a few lines will not be enough to describe everything, so for the time being, I prefer not to write anything, it's up to you to discover Vietnam with your own eyes.
Hanoi, Ha Nội, Vietnam
In Hanoi. French of Vietnamese origin, I have dreamed since the age of 7 of going to Vietnam, and of leaving France where I never felt at home, where I was one day greeted with stones in the courtyard of a school for having slanted eyes and only eating rice. In 2001 I finally realized my dream between two management positions, to the terrible shock when I set foot on this land that I so wanted to see, as if I was coming home after a very long absence, despite many trips to the Eastern part of the Globe. My father, an early activist, compatriot of Ho Chi Minh, pursued and sought in France during the Red Hunt of 53, had sworn to return to his country (he seems to be a Cong Binh) stayed for the beautiful blue-green eyes of my Polish mother, despite many temptations to leave to join his compatriots. However, he made my mother swear on their wedding day that she would be able to return and die when the time came in the country so dear to her heart. After 55 years of living together, he could not bring himself to do so, and preferred to die near the one he had always loved and protected as best he could and who wanted to keep his promise, far from his native land. In this country which has suffered so much, with such great imperfections, I live for him and for me, for everything he was good enough to teach me, of dignity has a certain idea of what a man's life should be and of what he should believe in. I was lucky enough to be able to visit Vietnam with him, to receive one last time his accurate, profound and sensitive analysis of the political and economic situation in the country, and to eat a pho on the terrace of the Literature Pagoda in Hanoi by his side. Every morning when I eat this soup, I hear him talking to me and laughing like that famous day. I could never live away from Vietnam again, I try to make my modest contribution in turn, to what I consider to be my country, which I miss terribly as soon as I return to Europe, as soon as I am far from it.
Collection Director
Taipei, Taipei, Taiwan
License Control
General manager
The sophistication of the city and the rawer state of nature, if you have the time, it's definitely worth it, Taiwan is a very endearing country, but be careful, prepare your euros!
It's expensive.
Jakarta, Jakarta Raya, Indonesia
Product Trading.
Collection Director
Ouch the Beauty of nature, oh my...
The living conditions are really difficult for the residents, you shouldn't be too sensitive though...
Rabat, Rabat-Salé-Zemmour-Zaër, Morocco
Production Control
Collection Director
A more structured and advanced country than its Tunisian neighbor, I really appreciated it.
Tunis, Tūnis, Tunisia
Production License
Collection Director
It’s Bled, with all the happy mess that entails.
Personally I didn't like it at all, but relations with Muslim countries were particularly difficult at that time, and the new company I was working for at the time wasn't easy either I must say...
Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
Production License
Product Director
Atmosphere, Smells, Colors, Food, what else can we say about this captivating country...
(and the beauty of Chinese girls my man, the girls, ouch binz, perhaps the sexiest girls I have met but be careful, Asians are not easy, it's a headache you have to know!)
.
Ouch, the Chinese are roots, nothing at all to do with the polished appearance of the Vietnamese.
Antananarivo Province, Analamanga, Madagascar
Product Trading
Product Director
Superb memory, the contact was wonderful.
It's insular, so with all that entails...
Guimarães, Braga, Portugal
Production Control
Product Director
I must say that the country didn't leave me with lasting memories, but hey, the tastes and the colors eh... (and then, I certainly didn't stay there long enough I think, I didn't want to anyway...).
Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India
Signature with Suppliers
Product Director
Magical Colors and Smells!
India is very special, you have to have your heart really hooked!
Kowloon City, Hong Kong
Product License Signature.
Production Director.
Ouch slap!
It's noisy, you don't have to have fragile eardrums.
Warsaw, Masovian Voivodeship, Poland
Production Control
Production Director
It’s my mother’s country, then.
(Slavic girls are frankly too beautiful, I won't say more!).
It's very nostalgic, you have to love old Europe.
.
Cairo, Muḩāfaz̧at al Qāhirah, Egypt
Production License Control
Production Director
I was there, that day in 92 at the El Meridien. Few people remember this event, except those who witnessed the terrorist attacks at Fnac in Rennes in 86. A bomb was planted at the El Meridien in Cairo, my favorite hotel. This had been placed in a trash can in the hall, exactly like at Fnac Rennes where a bomb had been placed in the trash can which was located right next to the Bus stop, right in front of the entrance to the store. That day I was sick as a dog, ate too spicy, I called my agent the day before and I canceled all my trips for the next day. Early in the morning at the time when I usually left I felt a terrible tremor in the hotel and a dizzying noise, some time later the police knocked on my room door and evacuated me. I walked through the hall in indescribable horror through the corpses, it was horrible to see, terrible, I could never forget it. I had a close brush with death and I thank heaven and the peppers I had accidentally swallowed the day before. My General Manager was distraught and asked me to come back immediately, I declined because of production, I didn't want to miss anything from this stay like all the others in this country. Despite everything, I keep an extraordinary memory of Egypt and especially of Cairo, of the people, of the desert where I took an epic gallop one evening not far from the Pyramids, of a certain Egyptian woman with deep eyes like the color of the Nile and a tanned face whose nose had nothing to envy of that of Cleopatra, of the museum of antiquities where I was lucky enough to be able to visit the famous room of mummies which was closed for many years, of the city, mythical and magical. I love Cairo and the very mystical atmosphere that reigns there. I have stayed there many times and each time it was simply: Magical.
It's very poor, be careful, hold on!
I advise you not to go for a walk to the Moors district in Cairo, which should be renamed (without or with a pun intended) the Quarter of the Dead, because people sleep in the tombs (true and difficult to bear...). I've only been there once, and that was enough.
.
Budapest, Hungary
Production Control
Production Director
I adore ! I felt very comfortable there straight away, it's calm, organized, on a human scale, the people are peaceful, the cheap pizzas and yogurt ice creams bought in the street are simply delicious, and the girls, ouch! (well I'm not going to go into detail about the chapter I think). In fact we often talk about the city of Budapest, but that's not true, there are in fact two cities: Pest, the commercial city which includes the old Jewish districts of the lower city, made up of old streets in Corto Maltese (for those who know Corto Maltese in Venice), I took my most beautiful photos in the almost abandoned old courtyards of the district, and then you have Buda, the upper city and its chic residential areas, all the local stars including the famous Pornstars from the East live there which is on the other side of the Danube (equivalent to the Seine which crosses and separates Paris North and Paris South), except that it is Pest to the East, Buda to the West and the Danube which separates the two parts of Budapest. I love the Gellert in the city center of Pest, its restaurant and the rooms with huge balconies at the top which have an absolutely incredible view of the city. As soon as I could, hop, I took the plane and headed to Gellert!
If you are sick of photos like me, you will go and take breathtakingly romantic photos at the old cemetery on the old tombs with statues of women of angels, on the outskirts of the city, except that in the evening no taxi will want to stop to take you back, strange no? not so much that a Hungarian girl (okay, a bomb come on!) told me who confirmed to me that the Carpathians are not very far away and that the Hungarians firmly believe in them, no taxi will want to venture towards this cemetery in the evening, I admit that the more I think about it, the more I feel a strange chill down my spine one evening when I had lingered a little too long, carried away by my passion for photography. I walked to the bus stop, which isn't quite ready, without even suspecting the truth. After chatting with this Hungarian beauty, I didn't go back (courageous but not reckless, you might say), and then I felt very comfortable in her arms, come on, I admit...
.
Paris, Île-de-France, France
I was born there, I grew up there, I did my professional classes, I haven't been there for 15 years and that's good (except for the old-fashioned baguette and the black forests with cherries and kirsh, come on!).
Activity
Some Visa Extensions Discontinued by OceanBeach92107
Don't trust ME on this. Contact your own visa agent to discover IF: ...you are in Vietnam from ANY country--on a category DN business visa--and you don't have a legitimate employer with a work permit--you will not be able to do any more ...
hello the english community, BE CAREFUL !!!! The administration now have a new politic about visas ! Its new thanks to the virus, that mean now there are penalities. For people stay in Vietnam and will delay to remade their visas, penalities will ... Read More
Apartment/Villa Hunting by Guest5678
Hello all, My family and I will be moving to HCMC (District 7) in July 2022. What are the best apartments and villas in D7? Are there any websites I can search to get an idea of the properties? What is the typical monthly price range for a 3-5 ...
you have many agencies to search villas and apartments. (follow the previous links of colinoscapee...). About the range, actually it is around 2000-3000 usd by agencies. Directly with owners, around 1000-2500 usd, there are some sites for that, ... Read More
Did you bring anything to Vietnam? by Anh Pham46
Hi guys, when you moved to vietnam, did you bring anything from the US? Like small appliances, small electronics, etc and use a converter? Or just buy it all new with the correct voltage/plug? I'm just wondering if I can bring some things over ...
Hi Bro, i just give an advice, 4 things you need to take with you absolutely : - A Iphone if you are fan (here, is really expensive, except chinese copy) - Your notebook (you can find here some models,but prices are higher) - Your visa card of a ... Read More
New apartment, landlord doesn't want to register with police by MarcusBaltus
Hello, I am newly arrived in Vietnam and I have just signed a lease for an apartment in Phu My Hung. People tell me I'm a bit of a worry-wart, and they say in Vietnam you don't need to worry, things can always be worked out, albeit sometimes ...
1. Anyone staying at a property must be registered with the local police (Cong An?) Yes, it is absolutely obligatory ! -------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2. This is the landlord's responsibility Correct. ... Read More
Where can I buy a lamp? by spindr
I'm looking to buy a large floor lamp. Do you know of any good shops or streets where I should start my search?
you have ikea too... http://www.noithatikea.com.vn/ Note in Vietnam the choice is very small. you have a famous store in 22 nguyen thi minh khai, but they dont have website i remember, great design but prices are more expensive. I think they have a ... Read More
Where can I buy a lamp? by spindr
I'm looking to buy a large floor lamp. Do you know of any good shops or streets where I should start my search?
www.boconcept.vn/ (better i think...) ;) . Read More
making a business card by emanuelasun
Hi everybody, i need to make urgent business card for tomorrow morning. Somebody know some shop where i can make/print it? thank you Manu
hi everybody, somebody knows if there is a shop actually can make embossed or/and Rounded Corners business cards in HCM ? Read More
Language exchange in hochiminh city by GuestPoster7410
Hi people, I created a group on facebook 3 days ago about language exchange in HCMC. We haven't meet yet but we will soon! This group is made for people who needs to practice english. all people from international are welcome. On facebook look for ...
great idea Julien ! hope everybody will make a lot of good friends. . Read More
Best place to sell a cell phone? by tidesout
I'm wondering what places are good for selling a cell phone in HCMC? I've posted on Craigslist before with success so trying that.....open to suggestions. tideout
i'm interesting too. white or grey ? phone from where ? scratch or not ? price... please give us some more details. do you have some pics of your phone ? ;) Read More
English-speaking hair stylist? by darago01
I'm so tired of my hair! I usually let it grow out for a year and then chop it all off, but I'm actually letting it grow out this time. The thing is, I'm going crazy.....I need to do something with it, and fast. I want to cut it, but keep it long ...
i can check next time i go to the d1 (i think next week), but im quite sure somebody here on the forum know a good place. Read More
English-speaking hair stylist? by darago01
I'm so tired of my hair! I usually let it grow out for a year and then chop it all off, but I'm actually letting it grow out this time. The thing is, I'm going crazy.....I need to do something with it, and fast. I want to cut it, but keep it long ...
in D1, a lot of hair stylist speak english, but of course the price will be higher... ;) Read More
Scrap booking materials in HCMC? by Aescleah
Anyone know where I can get quality scrap booking supplies around here? Is there a craft store?
i like scrap booking so much, and certainely the best place (i never see scrap booking more beautiful like this here in Saigon) is the store of souvenirs inside the Caravelle Hotel ! be careful, a simple card is expensive. You have a lot of scrap ... Read More